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About Our Team

Team 3044 is a FIRST Robotics team participating in its sixth year of competition. Also known as 0xBe4, Team 3044 is from Ballston Spa High School in Ballston Spa, New York. We’re made up of thirty four students with passions for creative thinking, engineering, and problem solving. We are dedicated to providing an environment that fosters hard work and strong relationships.

What Does Our Name Mean?

0xBe4 is a number written in the hexadecimal (base-16) system, which uses digits 0 to 9 and then A to F to represent the numbers 10 to 15. Hexadecimal notation is used in programming languages like C or Java to write numbers in a way that matches computer architecture: 2 hexadecimal digits correspond to 1 byte of memory. The 0x part of the name denotes the beginning of a hexadecimal string, meaning the rest are hexadecimal digits. When written in decimal form, Be4 equals 3044, which is our team number.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)

In 1989, Dean Kamen and Professor Woodie Flowers founded FIRST. In hopes of encouraging an interest in technology and engineering in youth, FIRST sponsors numerous competitions annually. The philosophy behind FIRST is of teamwork and interaction between teams. Teams refer to this mentality as 'gracious professionalism.'

FIRST has two important aspects: gracious professionalism and coopertition. The term gracious professionalism was originally used by Dr. Woodie Flowers. It states that we can do professional work but still be kind to others. Coopertition means that we can have an intense competition but still help each other when presented with a problem.

FIRST Mission

“To inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.”

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)

Every year, FIRST organizes a competition among high school students where they compete with robots that weigh up to 120 pounds. Robots perform certain field tasks that change yearly. 2015 marks the 24th year of competition. This year, January 3rd, marked kick off. Teams were given a standard set of parts and the details of the task. Six weeks later, they compete in a competition testing all aspects of their robot.